Ms Muffin's Weird Misadventure
by goxeris
Summary: It is almost the time for graduation for the young PET trainees at the PET Pavilion. The final exams are hard, and not everyone manages to pass them, needing a good dose of raw talent and training to make it. Ms. Muffin is ready: she has worked hard to fulfill her dream, and she certainly won't back down now. If only her grades weren't that terrible...
1. The Clueless Piggle

_**Ms. Muffin's Weird Misadventure**_

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 _ _Chapter 1 - _The Clueless Piggle___

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An anxious oink preceded the swift dance of the paintbrush on paper as the magical paint blanketed the page in many colors. Roads were drawn with utmost accuracy, slithering around buildings and flanking a single lake which occupied a small portion of the entire map. Soon afterwards the map expanded as the artist moved on to draw tents of many colors on the left, a large, bright green crown of leaves at the top, and white sturdy walls to encircle the entire area. Tiny doodles appeared in mere minutes at the borders of the paper, populating its empty, boring space with images of tiny wizards having fun, and portraits of important people were perfectly placed where one could most easily find them.

It was with a squeal of delight that the artist's tiny hooves fumbled with a quill to write down the names of important streets and places. She wasn't worried, even though the task hadn't been easy, she was confident in her ability to end it in time.

And what a perfect map she had drawn! It certainly deserved full marks!

"The map is accurate, but the doodles weren't necessary at all. Overall it is way too cartoonish to be a professional map." The one to strike down the artist's masterpiece was none other than the examiner, Milo Barker. Wrapped in his red suit not much unlike a rather big Christmas present, he sat behind his desk, giving instant critiques on every examinee's work.

"Squeeee! But… but…" The artist, or rather, Ms. Muffin, PET student, and infamous class airhead, unsuccessfully tried to fish for the right words to reply. Tiny hooves almost dug in the desk as her tiny wings struggled to keep her heavy body afloat. Her large, pink piglet nose gasping for air just under her blinking black eyes.

"No buts, my judgement is final. Here at the PET Pavilion, we graduate the best of the best, and as such we are very strict in grading papers. Despite your shortcomings, you passed, although barely. Please, Ms. Muffin, avoid causing a scene like yesterday…" As Milo Barker spoke, Ms. Muffin found herself distracted by the PET manager's black top hat. She had to give it to the guy, despite his exaggerated gestures with his body whenever he spoke, the hat stayed secured at the top of his golden, furry, dog-head like a particularly stubborn mussel upon its favorite rock.

"Uh… sir. do you use glue to keep it from falling?" She blurted out, interrupting what seemed to be the start of a long and boring lecture on the ideals of the PET program.

"Glue?" Milo Barker asked, taken aback by the sudden question.

"Nevermind… I bet Shadow would say it's an inappropriate question," she mumbled just instants before her wings gave in with a last half-hearted flap of protest. She fell to the ground with a loud thud, back aching in pain as muffled giggles rose from the back of the room.

"Everything okay, Ms. Muffin?" Milo Barker stood up abruptly to investigate what had transpired.

Ms. Muffin wasn't hurt if anything mildly annoyed by how her wings didn't seem to be strong enough to do their job. "... 'ts okay. Just a little mishap."

"You are anything but little, sweetie~," A melodious voice said. Ms. Muffin knew who the voice belonged to even without turning around. A pink plushie unicorn was looking at the scene with amusement from her small desk. Her incomplete drawing of a map detailing Triton Avenue unfinished before her.

The piglet smiled nervously at the joke: Pinkie had always been one to make everyone laugh with them, though Ms. Muffin had a bit of trouble finding them funny. Regardless, the entire class, consisting of various kinds of creatures ranging from miniature Forest Lords and Blazefoxes to ghosts and Rats, snickered at the comment.

"Enough, focus on your test," Milo barked, managing to silence everyone in an instant. "And Ms. Muffin… If you aren't hurt, it would be for the best for you to head outside, here are your results."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" Ms. Muffin got to her hooves and replied to the PET Pavilion manager like a wobbly soldier. She took the paper in a hurry and made her way out of the through a corridor, she found the first staircase and stumbling her way down she reached a small door. Upon opening it up, the PET Pavilion appeared in front of her eyes in all its glory.

It was a large outside area where wizards and their PETs strengthened their bonds. Several training facilities were located there, including an obstacle course to train agility, and a large maze to test the PET's sense of direction and resourcefulness. The large building Ms. Muffin had just come out of was used for many things, such as the theoretical lessons like Mapping 101, and Fundamentals of May Casting, though it was mostly known as the hatchery. It was quite imposing, rising even taller than the sturdy layers of stone walls encircling Wizard City. Even though she saw it every day, the piglet still found herself staring for a few seconds. She had almost reached her dream… she still couldn't believe it...

PET: Professional Exemplary Teammate. Being one of them had been her dream ever since she hatched from her egg! They were the best! Professional figures born after the utter failure of the team up function: they provided all the possible help to wizards, supporting them in their adventures with their wide range of abilities.

Becoming one wasn't easy though, requiring a good dose of raw talent and lots of training. Ms. Muffin didn't really have the raw talent… but she really did put in the hard work, and once she passed the final tests she was sure that…

Her train of thought was abruptly cut off by a soft growl. "Grrr… Muffin…"

" Heya, Shadow! Didn't see you there," Ms. Muffin said raising her hoof in greeting.

Next to her, stood a small dragon. Black shiny scales covered his body like a black knight's armor, sharp golden claws stabbed the ground, and bat-like wings stretched wide in intimidation. "Food…"

"Oh, Are you hungry? I've got some apple pie back at-"

" Apple… Pie…" The dragon mumbled folding his wings and approaching the piglet. His forked tongue tasted the air in anticipation as he crept closer to his target.

"Yep, there is apple pie, huckleberry pie, and even a surprise pie! They are all from my failed cooking 101 specialization test."

The dragon hissed in alarm and backed away, vigorously shaking his head as if his life depended on it. "Your… Pies… Poisonous."

"Nah, just a tad bit too sweet. The worst that can happen might be puking rainbows, but don't worry, the teacher that ate them is still alive and well!"

"That was… why teacher… at the hospital... yesterday?"

"I guess so, even though he liked it she still gave me zero. He is just denying my genius! And they say gobblers eat everything."

"I see… forget… pies… I… eat you…" Before Shadow could act upon his words, the door to the hatchery opened once again and a swarm of PET students streamed out. Many passed Ms. Muffin and Shadow without noticing them, commenting on their grades and difficulties during the test, while others limited themselves to short glances and giggles.

Only one went out of her way to talk to the piglet, zigzagging through the crowd with the grace which belonged to her species. A few adoring eyes lingered on the plushie unicorn, the model of the perfect PET student in both looks and smarts. "Good job out there, Fatty. You actually passed one test!"

"Thank you, Pinkie! Your support means a lot to me," Ms. Muffin replied with a smile.

Pinkie's eye twitched slightly at the piglet's response but continued to talk with a smile. "Of course… but what about the next test? Isn't it practical? What will you do with those… useless wings of yours?"

"Eh… maybe I'll roll. Someone pushed me down a few flights of stairs yesterday, and I was pretty fast at rolling down!"

"If you say so, Fatty, Just remember that there is no shame in being too mediocre to be a PET… Talents and stats, you're born with them~" The melodious voice of the plushie unicorn lingered slightly in the air. For some reason, this seemed to have upset Shadow, who replied to the statement with a low growl.

"Aye, aye, got it. I'll keep that in mind, Pinkie! Thank you for the advice!"

Pinkie's eye twitched again, and Ms. Muffin couldn't help but ask herself if she had some kind of eyesight problem. Was Pinkie perhaps nervous for her test?

"I'll leave you be, Fatty… otherwise, I fear your black knight is going to bite me. Farewell~"

"See ya, Pinkie!" Ms. Muffin waved the plushie unicorn goodbye while waving her hoof enthusiastically in the air. She was very lucky to have a such a great friend like Pinkie.

Shadow, on the other hand, wasn't happy. "Muffin… How can you be so clueless?! That…urgh… she just wants you to fail! She even pushed you down the stairs yesterday!"

Ms. Muffin stared at him in disbelief, eyes widening in surprise. She then pointed to Shadow and exclaimed, "You just broke character!"

"Muffin, this is way more important than a drama assignment!" Shadow rebuked with even more insistence. His sharp claws were now gently placed atop Ms. Muffin's shoulders in a desperate attempt at shaking awake any probable residue of common sense sleeping inside her head.

"Ehh? But your drama assignment is pretty important too. The wizard that you'll be working with… Doesn't he want you to be edgy like him?"

"Wolf saved the Spiral from destruction Muffin… he isn't edgy."

"Oh, his name is Wolf Shadowmancer, now I remember! He's the rich guy living in that Darkmoor manor place with shadow spectres… didn't he also write a weird invented autobiography about his tragic past and chose your name after you hatched?"

"Okay, okay, he is… yes… admittedly… maybe… a bit edgy. A bit… but that's not the point." Shadow's indecision gave away a tint of awkwardness that resurfaced whenever Ms. Muffin talked about his future master. It wasn't like she meant any harm teasing her friend, but she sure did enjoy Shadow's reactions.

"It isn't?"

"No, the point is that you are not taking this seriously. Pinkie is straight up an evil mastermind and wants you to fail. We have to do something about it."

"Invite her for lunch?" Ms. Muffin asked tentatively, tilting her head. "We could become best friends!"

"You know, let's scrap that and focus on you not failing," Shadow said, words leaving place to a long, tired sigh. "How much did you get in Mapping 101? Drawing is your strong point, isn't it?"

Only when Shadow asked about it did Ms. Muffin remember that she still held the paper under her armpit. With a bit of fumbling, she presented it to Shadow with a smirk. "I passed!"

"Oh, for all the Olympian Immortals…. You barely passed!" Shadow eyed the grade with a mix of mild disgust and terror, almost as if the paper itself could jump and suffocate him to death. "Muffin… Your average is terrible… you need full points in the practical exam for you to pass!"

"Oh, it'll be a piece of cake," Muffin shrugged the worries off, a flawless plan forming into her head.

"Muffin… rolling doesn't increase your speed on flat surfaces…"

When she heard Shadow's statement Muffin's eyes opened wide with wild unrestrained terror. "By Lady Nightstar, you are right! Help me Shaaadooowwww! I'm gonna fail, haaaaalp!" And thus it was her turn to shake the dragon and plea for help.

It wasn't long before Shadow gave in, whispering to his friend in a hushed tone, "Muffin… what do you know about mega snacks?"


	2. The Mega Snacks

**_Chapter 2 - _The Mega Snacks__**

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"So, if I do eat this mega snack you speak of, I might become as fast as a gobbler when you say food?" Ms. Muffin asked, literally walking in Shadow's shadow to avoid getting lost in the large crowd they were wading through.

"Wha-? What kind of comparison is that?!" Shadow replied as he looked around the place for any sign of their target.

The arena was thriving with activity. Teams of wizards talked to each other about the latest tournaments in loud tones or looked for other people to join their next match. A bunch of younger students squeezed their way among the crowd in an attempt at signing up for 1vs1 matches, and master duelists meditated in preparation for their great duels. The advanced techniques of meditation were quite intriguing by themselves, requiring the wizard to spin indefinitely in the middle of the area, oblivious to the world around them to reach a state similar to nirvana.

Even more impressive than the crowd was the building itself. A roof-less entry hall, encircled by thick, spell-resistant walls, acted as the main meeting spot for contestants and spectators alike. Two flower beds filled with freshly-cut grass and a couple of tall, ancient trees sandwiched a path of smooth cobblestone which led to the arena itself. Even from a good distance away, the muffled sound of cheering reverberated through the air, conjuring images of epic duels in Ms. Muffin's mind.

Shadow avoided the most crowded spots, keeping himself close to the walls and walking with care. Ms. muffin lagged behind him, eyes wide and nose held high as she took in the sights and smells of the unusual place. Occasionally, wizard's PETs glanced at them, but they didn't try to approach, choosing to stick close to their masters.

"Where is that guy? He is usually…" Shadow mumbled, stretching his neck to scan the crowd. Flight wasn't something easily doable in the arena with the overabundance of people and PETs flying above their heads. Of course, Shadow could maneuver into the air just fine even under such conditions, but whenever he hanged out with Ms. Muffin, he didn't fly.

The fellow was way too overprotective for being a supposedly edgy and dangerous breed of black dragon. He knew that Ms. Muffin couldn't really soar that high, and would most probably end up crashing into people, and thus, he just refused to even let her try.

"You mean Wolf? Isn't he the loner in the corner?" Ms. Muffin asked, pointing towards a boy dressed from head to toe in a complete set of Darkmoor gear.

"Oh… must have missed him among all these hooded people…" Shadow replied, starting to make his way towards the boy.

Ms. Muffin didn't let him though, stopping him before the small dragon could be spotted by his master. "Shadow, wait!"

"What is it?"

"You need more edge!"

Shadow rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Do I really have to?"

"He is your future master!"

"Ugh… fine." Shadow sighed and found his composure once again. His goofy walking stance straightened up, his fangs came in sight as his jaws slipped into an evil grin, and his eyes sparkled with dangerous intensity, warning people to avoid coming any closer. "Lets… go."

Ms. Muffin couldn't contain herself and exclaimed. "Woah, you are so good at this! You deserve a Muffin-hug for hard work!"

"Wait- Muffin… Ouch… can't… breathe…"

It was only after a couple of minutes that Shadow managed to restrain Ms. Muffin and her need for expressing affection. He then moved quickly towards Wolf Shadowmancer and growled to get his attention.

"Shadow, my future loyal PET, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" The boy's voice was visibly strained in an attempt at sounding deeper. His eyes glowed with magical energy under his hood as he looked down upon them, hand caressing the hilt of a glowing magical greatsword.

"Acquaintance… needs… Mega Snacks…" Shadow said, pausing the words as Wolf had suggested during one of his visits at the pavilion. Ms. Muffin had no idea how such a manner of speaking could be considered cool by the young wizard, but she definitely wasn't one to complain.

"Mega Snacks? I can allow you to have some, but what manner of activity are you using them for?" The wizard asked directly to Ms. Muffin. She could feel the raw power radiating from the young boy's body, the same power that had been used to defeat mighty foes such as Malistaire and Morganthe. It was surely enough power to end her with a mere flick of a wrist.

Ms. Muffin wasn't one to dwell too much on consequences though, and her reply came out instantly, though a bit shaky. "E-Eating them, no?"

The Savior of the Spiral seemed taken aback by her answer and the glow of the eyes under the hood dimmed, becoming almost cold. "Eating them… A first generation piglet?"

Even the oblivious Ms. Muffin could notice the sudden shift in the wizard's voice. It felt almost scornful… sneering… resentful... even malicious. "Giving such valuable snacks to a first gen piglet is heresy. I am not a charity!"

The poor piglet shrank as the Child of Light and Shadow's aura grew in intensity. Even other wizards seemed to have taken notice of it, backing away like scared burrowers in an arachna lair.

Luckily enough, Shadow was there to save the day with a growl. "Grrrrr, NO! She needs…. Mega Snacks… to avenge…. family…"

"Family? You mean that her family has been…?" Wolf's aura diminished to nothing as fast as it had appeared. His glowing red eyes under the hood piercing straight through Ms. Muffin as if a single glance could show him more of her story.

"M-my family?" Ms. Muffin asked, sending a questioning look to Shadow.

"Yes…"

"My family isn't de-… oh… oooh! Yes, oh, woe me! My family… all of them dead that TRAGIC night." At first Ms. Muffin hadn't understood what Shadow's significant look meant, but eventually, she had caught up, devising a simple lie to get those mega snacks. Of course, once she had a stable income as a PET she would repay the Savior of the Spiral with the item's worth in gold.

"Your parents died? I haven't heard of anything like that recently," Wolf said.

"Oh, yes. It happened years ago. It was a horned wizard… he came and went like a devil! First, he killed my mother… then, pushed my father into the fire… I was the only one to survive the fire's blaze that night… and now I seek revenge." Ms. Muffin did her best to sound dramatic, hoping that the wizard would buy it. Apparently, her hard work was paying off: Wolf was engrossed in her story, eyes glowing brightly with interest.

"I see… I am sorry for mocking such a cool- erm… serious quest. Revenge changes things, and as the Savior of the Spiral I must right the wrongs." He then took out a bunch of Fancy Yogurts from his bag, squatted down, and offered them to Ms. Muffin. "It's dangerous to seek revenge, take this."

Ms. Muffin gladly accepted the gift and held it tight with her hooves. "Thank you, Wolf Shadowmancer," she said solemnly.

"You are welcome, piglet," Wolf replied. "Now if you will excuse me, I have to teach a lesson to those cheating Loremaster-spamming Balances. I can't believe people would go as far as to spam a single spell to win."

"Dang, seems like hard battles await you!" Ms. Muffin exclaimed. Shadow agreed with a low growl and a nod of his head.

Wolf straightened up, took out his deck of cards, and shrugged. "No worries, I will win fair and square. I'm not like them," he said, checking out his collection of Bad Juju and adding a few treasure card version of them in the side deck. "Wish me good luck!" And thus the Savior of the Spiral took his leave, wading through the crowd like a boss in his tower.

Ms. Muffin was left with the Fancy Yogurts dangerously in balance in her tiny arms, sure that a single step could have all of them crumble down like a castle of cards. "Oink… Sha-Shadow! a little bit of help…"

"I am… too cool… to carry… things…" Shadow replied, his evil grin softening up in a smirk.

"Oh, come on!" the piglet was now trying to bend backwards to avoid a particularly unsteady snack from falling down. "I can give you all of my pies, just please take a couple of them!"

"Fine, no reason to threaten me with your pies," Shadow replied, breaking out of character and grabbing two yogurts with his mouth. "Eff go."

"Alrighty." Ms. Muffin followed after Shadow in a hurry, her tiny, plump legs doing their best to keep up. "eh… Shadow… why is everyone staring?"

It was only a suspicion at first, people might have still been shocked by Wolf's aura appearing out of nowhere, but the more the piglet walked, the more her unease grew. Many pairs of eyes stalked her like crown-starved novices after a Ravenwood graduate. They whispered softly among themselves, pointing to the three mega snacks she was carrying around with reverence. In their attitude, she saw a strong, worrying desire.

"Eff go, Muffi'!" Shadow insisted, turning back to make sure that his friend was following. His eyes darted left and right with suspicion as a low growl kept wizards away. Even with his mouth full, Shadow almost looked like he was ready to fight...

"I'm coming!" Ms. Muffin said, propelling herself forward with tiny flaps of her wings and hasty steps, not daring to look back.

They made it out of the arena safely a few seconds later and stopped to rest on the sidewalk of Unicorn Way. Out there, the hustle and bustle of the crowd was but a memory, replaced by the excited steps of novices ready to cast their first spells. Fairies happily flew about singing their joyous songs to the plants, encouraging them to grow healthy and beautiful, and detailed unicorn statues rose up in all their grace and glory as if the mythical creatures themselves had been frozen in time.

Shadow placed the mega snacks on the floor and tentatively opened and closed his mouth to soothe the pain. "Ouch, carrying them is tough… maybe we should have gotten a pouch or something…"

"Yeah… but Shadow, w-what happened earlier? It was… creepy." Ms. Muffin asked, dropping the remaining snacks she had been carrying and slumped on the ground, breathing heavily.

"You really are clueless, Muffin." Shadow said. "Look at them. These are the fabled Mega Snacks! And not one, but five of them all in one place!"

"Ooooh, I get it!" Ms. Muffin exclaimed picking up one of the Fancy Yogurts. She looked at it with intensity, shook it, and read the label. "Fancy Yogurt… Of course, it is… fancy? uh, I don't get it, Shadow. A little hint?"

Shadow rolled his eyes and rescued the snack from the piglet's hooves placing it down alongside the others. "You know Muffin, sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing by helping you to graduate. The poor wizard you'll be teamed up with will surely have a hard time surviving…"

He then gently patted Ms. Muffin's shoulder with his claws. "But then I remember that if I dump you onto someone else you will finally stop being my problem, and suddenly everything makes perfect sense."

"Awww, just say you like hanging out with me," Ms. Muffin replied.

"Never," Shadow smirked and shifted his attention back to the mega snacks on the floor. "Anyway, what I meant was that Fancy Yogurts are incredibly expensive, not even the bazaar sells them."

"Really? I don't see anything incredible about them. They're just food, no?"

"You'd be surprised… Wizards search far and wide for even one of them. Some went insane without finding any… apparently, the plants to make them are insanely rare."

"Oh… and Wolf gave us five just like that?" Ms. Muffin couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. If those snacks were as expensive as they were, then she couldn't even hope to repay them in a lifetime of PET work.

Shadow snorted, seemingly amused by his friend's worries. "Wolf is a special case. He has a farm of couch potatoes that takes up an entire island. Filthy rich, remember? five Mega Snacks is nothing to him."

I see… so we better-" Ms. Muffin couldn't finish her sentence. Words stopped midway through her throat and wouldn't budge, her gaze fixed on two wizards looking at the snacks from the other side if the road. Were they friends or foes? Ms. Muffin couldn't tell.

One was a girl dressed in green archangel robes: a popular, fashionable outfit for magical dueling. Fake wings sprouted from her back as part of the outfit, unmoving as she took her first steps forward. A flabby hat upon her head shadowed her confident hazel eyes from the sun's rays and hid the roots of her straight, lucent hair.

Beside her walked a boy. Arrogant steps kicked small pebbles on the ground as the wizard's walk was accompanied by the muffled sound of his chainmail. A hood to hid his eyes, barely uncovering a smug smirk and a gleaming sword rested at his waist. He was a dueler nonetheless, an older Ravenwood student wearing armor died in tan and maroon, flaunting Balance school's colors.

Before Ms. Muffin and shadow could gather up the mega snacks and skedaddle out of the way, the wizards were upon them. "My, my, aren't those Fancy Yogurts, Kyle?" Said the girl, bright red lips smacking as she addressed the boy beside her.

"Indeed, Grace. We better intervene before someone gets hurt." The boy named Kyle replied. His voice, his handsome face, and his clothes… To Ms. Muffin it almost looked like someone had purposely selected the boy's complete appearance to mirror a handsome knight. Of course, with all those spells on the tip of the wizard's tongue, it could have as well been true.

"Hey, you two, do you know that mega snacks are too precious to drop in the middle of the street? You might even get attacked by nasty wizards." The girl's voice was commanding, but also somehow honeyed. Ms. Muffin found herself enraptured by the way she pronounced every syllable almost as if there was a hidden melody hidden among her words.

"uh… Oh! Thank you for the advice, we will be on our way then," Ms. Muffin said, gathering up three if the snacks and attempting to move towards the tunnel leading to the Commons.

"Wait, I think it is for your interest to avoid walking alone with those." Kyle seemed to have almost teleported, appearing swiftly in front of Ms. Muffin and preventing her from getting away.

"You think?" The piglet asked, sending a worried glance towards Shadow. Her friend couldn't quite speak with the two jars barely held in his mouth, limiting himself to his low growl of warning.

"Yes, yes, why don't you let us help?" The girl named Grace agreed. "We are almost to the rank of Warlord, it would be safer if we lent you a hand."

"That's very nice of you!" The piglet squealed in delight, worries melting into a smile.

"Yeah, aren't we?" The boy crossed his arms over his chest and smiled back.

Shadow's growl grew in intensity as Grace squatted down and stretched her hand in front of Ms. Muffin. The small dragon might have said something with muffled voice, refusing to let go the snacks, but Ms. Muffin didn't hear him, her focus utterly on the girl's voice. "We will take you back home quickly, but to be safe, you better gift us those snacks. It's temporary anyway, and free hooves sure do help!"

"Uh… sure, how do I-?" Before Ms. Muffin could ask the necessary steps for gifting her field of view was filled with ice.

An icy wall surged from the ground with no warning, creating a barrier between the two PET students and the two wizards. Grace had been quick enough to jump back before her stretched hand ended up frozen like a manicured popsicle. A surprised yelp came out of the girl's red lips as she jumped back, eyes fixed on the person who had cast the spell.

A girl in cheap-looking blue robes which seemed to not really match to her jester-like hat and pointy shoes stood a distance away, her wand brandished in front of herself like a sword. "Get away from them, they're scammers!" she said with a tone that was barely balanced between a frightened scream, and an angry shout.

"Calm down, girl, we were just helping!" Kyle said, raising his palm before him as if attempting to tame a wild beast.

"As if! I remember what happened last time you tried to help me!" The girl rebuked tightening the hold on her wand so much that her knuckles went white.

"Laura, wasn't it? Well, dear, nobody forced you to gift us those packs. A gift is a gift, and it would be terribly rude of us to gift it back, wouldn't it?" Grace said, voice almost singing in self-satisfaction as she proclaimed her innocence.

"I thought you would help me out!" Laura shouted, tears barely kept at bay in the corners of her chocolate-brown eyes.

"Don't make a scene, it's not like we got anything good from those packs anyway," Kyle added, rolling his eyes.

"I get it, you don't care about me, but just… stop… please… leave them alone," Laura pleaded. Her legs were shaking in fear, probably knowing that she was severely outclassed. Even Ms. Muffin, in her all bubble of cluelessness, could understand that the situation was bad. The talkative piglet was now unsure on what to say, doubting that words could help at all.

"Alright…" Grace said, following her reluctance agreement with a sigh. "But just a curiosity, is that a resplendent rod in your hand?"

Laura froze, kept in place by that simple, seemingly innocent question. "N-No."

Kyle appeared confused at first, but then his eyes lit up in understanding. "Well spotted, Grace! It is a resplendent rod alright!"

"Hey, Laura, why don't you gift it to us? So we can part as friends… I need it for my collection."

"I-It's a g-gift…"

"Come on, don't be difficult, it's like 60 crowns, I can buy you another one tomorrow." Grace stepped forth, a bow materializing in her hand out of nothing. "Surely we can reach a compromise…"

Laura was rooted in place knees shaking so much that Ms. Muffin could almost hear them implore the girl to turn around and run. Despite that, Laura stood her ground against the two older and more experienced students. Suddenly her eyes widened as if she had just had an idea. She took a deep breath and released all the air in a loud scream. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP US! THEY WANT TO ROB US!"

Grace and Kyle stopped in their tracks, eyes uneasily scanning the surroundings. In the eyes of Ms. Muffin, Laura's plan was genius, but despite her bravery, there was a glaring flaw. There were wizards in the surroundings, many of them definitely stronger than Grace and Kyle… but excluding a couple of curious novices, all of them were deep into the meditative nirvana spinning. All of them, despite all their amazing powers, were utterly oblivious on what was going on around them.

"Seems like nobody is going to rescue you, girl," Kyle mocked Laura, unsheathing his sword and taking a step forward.

Her plan had failed and she was in danger, but Laura did another thing that surprised Ms. Muffin right after the first. She looked at the piglet PET in the eyes and shouted, "RUN!"

She then sprinted towards the two scammers in a desperate charge, her wand pointed towards them as she chanted a quick incantation. A bright light engulfed the three wizards in an instant, and Ms. Muffin found herself dashing the other way, towards the Commons. Before entering the tunnel, she glanced back, where a dueling circle had just appeared, locking Laura in battle with the two duelists.

The run of the two PETs in training continued, they didn't stop even when their breath betrayed them, nor when they heard the acute scream of a girl in the distance. They didn't stop until they were safe and sound within the borders of the PET Pavilion slumped on the ground and breathing heavily in a mix of fear and fatigue.


	3. Gluttony

**_Chapter 3 _\- Gl _ _uttony____**

* * *

"Shadow, do you think that girl is alright?" Ms. Muffin asked, swinging her tiny feet back and forth in restlessness from atop a tiny chair.

"Absolutely. The worst that could have happened to her would have been losing the duel and getting teleported back to the Commons." The black dragon stood upright on his back feet, resting his claws on the table to support himself.

On that very same table, the five Fancy Yogurts were dumped in a disorganized manner like a pile of stolen artifacts ready to be divided among crew members. The rest of the table was occupied by three pies, which spread their malicious sugary smell in every nook and cranny of the small room.

The room itself wasn't very spacious, containing only a small table, one chair, a wardrobe, and a tiny, yet comfortable bed. That wasn't to say that Ms. Muffin hadn't tried to customize the space to her liking with the aid of posters, pictures, and bright colors.

The walls were bright yellow, almost blinding, a decorative choice that Shadow definitely never approved. A picture of Shadow and herself making funny faces stood guard just above the bed: a breath of fresh air compared to the numerous posters of King Thermidor and his band which littered the walls like spreading fungi. The wardrobe door almost looked like they were growing skin with the sheer amount of drawings that were attached to it in messy, layered patterns. The largest of the drawings was an autoportrait starring a generously beautified version of Ms. Muffin herself, and of course, in the morning she looked at it instead of the mirror.

All in all, Wolf Shadowmancer who had traveled through the horrifying layer of the Arachna in the faraway world of Khrysalis without batting an eyelid, would have probably fainted on the spot if he were to just simply gaze at the room from outside.

Their decision to go for Ms. Muffin's room had been made for the sake of keeping the mega snacks secret. They didn't want a repeat of what had happened at the arena, and nobody would have asked any questions if the gluttonous piggle closed herself up in her room to enjoy her afternoon snack. It hadn't been an easy task by any means though: Shadow had to repeatedly stop his friend from getting a taste of the expensive delicacies on the way.

"Eat one or two... and slowly. We do not know if eating them all together could be bad for your stomach... In the worst case scenario you could even explode," Shadow warned. "Usually you should also train a little between one snack and the next… We have no time for it though."

"I guess so… unless I train hard for the entire night?" Ms. Muffin replied, taking hold of the nearest snack.

"That would only tire you out. Remember that you will have to be at the top of your game… that and you need to pay attention to Pinkie."

"I know, I know… I still don't get why Pinkie is out to get me though. We're friends, no?"

"No Muffin… Pinkie really hates you."

"But why? I didn't do anything wrong. We even worked together on a group projects for a semester!"

"Muffin… Your marks in those projects were below zero… You ate all of them before they could be graded!"

"Oh… but they were delicious… I couldn't resist! I told Mr. Barker that they tasted good though, so it should be alright, no?"

Shadow closed his eyes, took a deep breath, probably to calm himself down, and replied, "They weren't supposed to be food!"

"Oh…"

"Listen... failing Teamwork 101, was a terrible thing for Pinkie. She has already been working with a wizard partner... and whoever they are, they are very strict. They want her at the very best, and I can understand her anger... Wolf is very demanding too," Shadow explained, removing his claws from the table and making his way towards the door.

"But-"

Shadow raised his voice and continued, not giving his friend time to interrupt him. "That isn't to say that her actions are excusable. She can't just go nuts and try to get rid of you. That's outright evil."

"What if I talked to her, maybe-"

"Don't do that. She would just think you are making fun of her. Just stay away from her as much as possible," the black dragon's words were final, almost pleading, as he reached for the door's handle.

"Okay… um, Shadow, where are you going?" Ms. Muffin asked, straining her almost non-existent neck to peer above the Fancy Yogurts.

"I need to practice with my may derby talents. I'll be needing them tomorrow," he stated. "Remember, eat those yogurts with care!" And just like that, he was out of the room, leaving Ms. Muffin alone with her thoughts.

Would Pinkie really do something to her? Was it true that she had antagonized the Plushie Unicorn by accident? Most importantly, why did Pinkie's essays taste so good if they weren't supposed to be eaten? Did she use some kind of Plushie magic to make them tastier?

Many questions hammered at the borders of Ms. Muffin's mind, most to be left without answers, while others leading to vivid and uncharacteristically long musings. She didn't know how long she stared at the colorful walls of her room without seeing them, but what she did know, was that the angry grumbles of her protesting stomach distracted her from her scattered thoughts. All that thinking sure made her hungry!

She opened the first jar of Fancy Yogurt without giving it much thought, using her hoof to dig out all the fanciness inside and unceremoniously slurp it down. "Hmm, they're good!"

Ms. Muffin had eaten a good amount of yogurts during the years, but nothing was quite like the one she was eating at the moment. Before she could savor the taste properly, it was already finished, the jar left abandoned to the side as clean as if it had been the target of a particularly powerful cleaning spell.

Hmm, just one more can't hurt, Ms. Muffin thought, hoof going for the next snack. She barely hesitated to dip her hoof in, Shadow's words a mere annoyance at the back of her mind…

One more… Her mouth watered at the thought. Shadow would have scolded her anyway for eating two...

One more… Her yogurt-blanketed lips smacked in anticipation as she opened the third jar...

It wasn't long before all five mega snacks found their way into the satisfied stomach of the piglet who now lied down on her bed holding her tummy. She was in heaven, a heaven with clouds made up of creamy yogurt. At first, she couldn't quite believe that such tiny things could be so precious, but after eating them…

"Dear Forest Lord, I ate all of them!" she exclaimed rolling out of bed to check the jars again, just in case there was some kind of tiny yogurt leftover to show Shadow so she could defend herself and say that no, she hadn't devoured all of them.

Empty... empty… all of them empty. She could definitely say that she was in a pickle. It wasn't the first time that her stomach had gotten the best of her, but it was definitely the first time that she could be in grave danger because of it. Shadow had told her not to eat them all together which she did… but he had been really vague on the effects. Where there any effects at all?

There definitely were.

A subtle warmth departed from her stomach, slowly seeping all throughout her body. It was a comforting feeling at first, soothing her tired muscles and making her legs jelly, but it didn't last. It only got worse.

Fiery waves of heat burned through her fat as if it consumed dry straw. Her tiny wings flapped aimlessly on their own volition, deaf to Ms. Muffin's panicky orders. She was burning… No flames flickered to life from her body, but she was surely burning. An inferno in her stomach, that couldn't be quenched by any amount of water thrown at it. She had to spit it out… she had to… or else...

The poster-filled walls swam in front of her eyes as she made a couple of wobbly steps towards the table. Her breathing was irregular, quickly exhaling air and choking with every precious breath of oxygen. The air going in and out of her lungs didn't cool her down, if anything, it fed the flames.

She got to the table, hoof descending down on it to steady herself. A loud snap resounded in the room, taking Ms. Muffin's already overloaded senses by surprise. Splinters of wood flew everywhere like lethal darts as the tiny table broke in half by the sheer strength of her hoof's impact upon it. Plates crashed to the floor and shattered with consecutive crashes. The pies ruined to the floor, splattering in pieces under Ms. Muffin's stinging gaze. Ms. Muffin herself plummeted to the floor as her legs lost the strength to sustain her.

She wanted to throw up. She wanted it so bad, yet couldn't. Her stomach wouldn't empty of its contents, treasuring them like a leprechaun with his gold. If only she could lessen the grip…

Perhaps it was because of her confusional state or perhaps it was utter desperation, but an idea struck her out of the blue.

The pies...

She had planned to eat them as her afternoon snack but didn't get to do it because of their trip to the arena. Her teacher puked after eating a single bite… she still didn't think that they were that bad, but she could try…

Her very thoughts blurred as she crawled her way to the splattered remains of the nearest pie, forcing her mouth to close upon a tiny bite. It really was nauseatingly sweet. She forced herself to swallow.

Here comes the rainbow puke…

It never came. Instead, her world turned black as the shadowy emptiness of unconsciousness swallowed her.


	4. Crumbling Faces, Transcendent Realities

**_Chapter 4 - _Crumbling Faces and Transcendent Realities__**

* * *

She was floating in space. Drifting through nothingness like a second, way clumsier Xibalba. She wondered when she would finally encounter her Azteca. Her body didn't hurt, her head didn't spin. She was at peace.

Was that the afterlife?

No, she could still faintly sense her body.

Was it a dream?

Probably yes... or probably no.

She didn't have an answer to what was happening to her. Actually, maybe she had… if she had to put it into words… maybe she would say… transcendence. Her thoughts propagated through space unhindered, brushing against the fragile veil of reality like a gentle breeze.

The Spiral materialized in front of Ms. Muffin's eyes. The countless stars binding the many worlds together shining very much akin to happy Glowbugs dancing in the night sky. She could see the struggles of mortals down below, she could hear the unending stories unfolding in each and every world, and she could touch something smooth under her hooves, something with many buttons...

The great forces of the Spiral battled right under her gaze. The shadow web stretching beneath the stars and the Great Raven's mighty wings attempting to blow it away. Ms. Muffin drifted away. Away from the moon and stars, away from the sun. So far from the Spiral that she could see its entirety with ease.

Out there, strange things existed. Huge orange letters flew through space, accompanied by a golden number.

They spelt: Wizard101.

Ms. Muffin couldn't fathom what could that mean and she couldn't linger on it much as her gaze was attracted by a new curious sight. A classroom, filled with wizards, floated in the immensity of space, out of the bounds of the Spiral itself. The wizards, six in number, didn't seem to react to her presence, limiting themselves to glare accusingly at a single desk. It was the seventh one in the classroom, a spot that Ms. Muffin was sure would always remain empty: It was a universal law.

How did she know of such a universal law?

It was probably something she learnt after transcending to a higher plane of existence through Fancy Yogurts and an inedible pie.

Her trip out of the Spiral wasn't over though, and she soon left the odd classroom behind. In front of her, she could see something. It was… a screen? No, they were more than one.

Figures stood behind the numerous screens, fumbling with something just out of sight.

Incessant clicking... loud typing... the sound of something grazing on a desk...

Ms. Muffin was curious about such creatures. They resembled the humans of the Spiral, but were they? She couldn't tell.

"Muffin, what are you doing?!" Distant words reached her even in such a place. They beckoned her to head back. Much like an anchor, they kept her from going any further, making her sink back to her limited self.

The screens disappeared out of sight as the piggle skyrocketed through space and back towards the Spiral. A huge, light brown window opened up in front of her, taking up as far as the eye could see. Ms. Muffin didn't have time to scream, nor to maneuver away before she crashed right into it. The only thing she had the time to do was reading the huge letters that appeared on the window before impact.

Though their foreboding meaning escaped her, they read: Connecting to server...

When she opened her eyes again she noticed two things. The first one was that Shadow was looking at her with worry, standing just outside of the mess that was her room. The second one was that she was spinning in place, flapping her wings and remaining airborne with little to no difficulty. The moment she realized it, her wings stopped working, dumping her on the floor like a bag of potatoes.

"Muffin… what the immortal hades happened here?!" Shadow asked, eyeing the broken table and broken cutlery with confusion on his face. His gaze lingered a bit longer on the five empty jars of mega snacks, partly shattered on the floor, and his eyes filled with distaste when they glanced at the remains of the pies. He didn't seem happy.

Ms. Muffin needed a few seconds to get her bearings, looking around the room and blinking her drowsiness away. Utter disbelief about the fact that she had actually survived the yogurts washed over her. She looked at her friend, smiled, and finally replied, "Shadow, now I get why wizards love that weird spinning thing… it's amazing!"

The heavy sigh of the black dragon filled the room as Shadow once again readied himself to deal with the situation. "Muffin, you know what? I don't even want to know. The derby race is about to start, we better go."

"The derby?"

"Yes."

"It's already tomorrow?"

"If you mean that in all that destructive spinning of yours you haven't noticed that an entire night has passed, then yes. It is already tomorrow."

"Oh," Ms. Muffin slowly nodded. It really did seem that she had been out for the entire night. She then looked at Shadow straight in the eye and stupidly asked, "The derby?"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "The practical exam is a derby race this year. Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"Oooh… yes… the derby race… how could I forget that…"

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten, get ready and let's go."

Indeed, Ms. Muffin remembered the derby race all too well. There was a periodical race to test the PET student's fitness every month after all. What bothered Ms. Muffin was that she was genuinely terrible at it. At least, even when she failed in other tests, she could still take pride in her abilities. Her drawings might have been childish, but they were fun. Her pies might have as well been poisonous, but they were also most probably the sweetest pies in the entire Spiral! With derby races… she was just terrible, tripping up at the first couple of obstacles and squealing in pain as her face deepened its friendship with the ground.

It was with a nervous smile and shaking like a leaf that Ms. Muffin followed the black dragon out of her room and out in the Pavilion itself. The trip was uneventful, filled with Shadow's warnings and mumbled scoldings as he still couldn't get over the piggle's recklessness in eating all the Snacks. They encountered a few other people from their classes on the road, all of them hurrying along to get to the stadium on time.

"Here, sign up quickly," Shadow said, pointing to the sign-up table which had been set up just outside the hatchery. Ms. Muffin did as he told her, writing her name on the list. She was participant number 84.

"Oh, it's Fatty! How are you doing on this fine day? Ready to roll your way into obstacles?" A familiar voice rose from the small crowd of PET students amassing around the table.

Ms. Muffin turned around to face Pinkie, trotting with her usual grace among the other examinees to get to the piggle. Shadow tensed visibly, but Ms. Muffin ignored him. It was Pinkie, she was too nice to really hold grudges. She was too cutesy to hold grudges...

"Heya, Pinkie! I think I won't roll in the end, Shadow said it's not optimal," Ms. Muffin said, waving her hoof.

"Oh, got your number already? which one is it?"

"Uh… 84. Just signed up for it… if it weren't for Shadow I would have probably been late, ya know?"

Pinkie smiled. "I see… Poor Fatty would be lost without her knight. I hope you'll do good even if he won't be there with you in the derby... It's everyone for himself out there."

"No problem, I can make it! I'll win, just watch me!" Ms. Muffin grinned, hoping with all her heart to not make a fool of herself in front of everyone. Having eaten the Fancy Yogurts should have counted for something, right?

"I sure hope that your performance will be… memorable. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go greet a friend~" Pinkie replied, walking away. She distanced herself from the crowd, making her way to the hatchery.

There, a ninja pig stood in wait, perhaps just another Pet student ready to take on the exam. The pig seemed rather intrigued by Ms. Muffin, eyeing her with intensity… Did he have a crush on her or something? That gaze sure was determined!

When Pinkie approached him, he shifted his attention to her, initiating a short conversation. As the plushie unicorn talked, the ninja pig nodded profusely, hand caressing his katana.

"Ohi, Muffin. Keep focus," Shadow said, snapping her back from her ninja-watching.

"I am focused."

"No, you aren't. What did I tell you yesterday?"

"Um… That I would explode if I ate too much yogurt?"

"No… I told you to try to avoid talking to Pinkie… She is planning something..."

"I just talked to her… If you think she hates me just ask her, no? I mean… you always stay silent whenever she is around… actually, why is that?"

"It's that… she is right… in a way. I won't always be around to help you out. I can't be the black knight forever… scare away other people just on a hunch of mine... If you want to talk to her, you can… but I don't like her."

Shadow was deadly serious, and also right... in a way. Since they had begun the PET course he was always the one she turned to whenever she brewed up trouble. He had always been there for her, sharp claws and low growls included. Ms. Muffin had ended up taking his help for granted recently... once they graduated they would have gone separate ways...

"I see… well, I think Pinkie is alright. It's not like she is hiring killers to murder me or anything, no?" Ms. Muffin joked, giggling to her own words herself. Even Shadow averted his gaze at such a funny thought. The cute and fluffy Pinkie hiring a band of pirates to assault Ms. Muffin in a dark alley was a funny, unrealistic thought.

"I guess you wouldn't be worth it. You'd poison yourself on your own one of these days. She just needs to wait," he chuckled.

"See? A good laugh is good once in a while."

"I guess so…" Shadow admitted glancing back to the signup table. The Quill, the ink, and the papers had disappeared, leaving their place to a shiny blue crystal, floating just above the wooden surface. It was a magical item inspired by recently rediscovered Celestian technologies. It looked gorgeous, but in the end, it had only one purpose: create a hologram portraying the derby race track in all its glory, and Ms. Muffin really hated the derby.

A short inspection was all it took for Shadow to sigh, "My turn already. Wish me good luck."

"Good Luck!" Ms. Muffin's words reached him just in time. An instant later, Shadow was already gone, vanished in the light of magical teleportation.

Looking at the hologram, the piggle watched as her friend got into position at the start of the track. Shadow waited for the starting signal, and started the race, flying over obstacles, dodging walls, and choosing the right lanes as if he was born to be a champion of PET derbies. Ms. Muffin wasn't worried, Shadow was surely going to win. Just as he won every other PET derby he had participated in.

Ms. Muffin, on the other hand, had to do something herself… even if Shadow would have not approved of her decision. Yes, even she could admit that her decisions were almost always terrible, but at the very least they were hers and hers alone...

"Pinkie… tell me the truth. Do you hate me?" The piggle had crept up on the plushie unicorn as soon as the ninja pig walked away, asking her the direct question that she should have asked months before.

There were no witnesses in sight, which could have been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because Pinkie could speak freely, giving the piggle her honest answer. A curse because, if Shadow was right, Pinkie just needed to call in the pirates.

Of course, Pinkie with her sweet smile and her melodious voice wasn't evil... right?

Ms. Muffin couldn't even finish her internal debate on the Plushie Unicorn's true nature that the facade fell. Pinkie's sweet smile soured and her kind, melodious voice shifted to a mocking tone. Her eye visibly twitched as she replied, "You are really asking if I hate you? Are you even dumber than I thought or what?!"

"Yes, please tell me…" Ms. Muffin nodded, somehow more intimidated by Pinkie's glare than she had been when experiencing The Savior of The Spiral's aura head on. There was something unsettling in the plushie unicorn's gaze now that she looked closer...

"Of course I hate you, Fatty. Isn't it kind of obvious?"

"But why? Is it for failing that class? It wasn't a big deal… I failed many classes too!"

Something Ms. Muffin said must have hit a nerve because Pinkie's eyes widened in disbelief and her reply almost seemed to crackle with barely repressed anger. "Not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL?! You have no idea what you did to me, do you?"

"I don't…" The Piggle's reply was feeble as she fought hard against the instinct to curl up into a ball and hide.

Pinkie chuckled. A cold, maniacal chuckle that didn't match her cutesy appearance at all. "Simple, I wasn't perfect. If I am not perfect, I am nothing."

Before Ms. Muffin could ask what she meant, a bright light engulfed her, bringing the conversation to an end and marking the start of the Derby. Much to Ms. Muffin's horror, Pinkie was on the track with her.


	5. Perfection

**_Chapter 5 - Perfection_**

* * *

A gentle breeze caressed Ms. Muffin's head as she stood up to look at her surroundings. A wide track extended in front of her, littered with obstacles to overcome. The course was divided into four distinct lanes, each of them with their own type of terrain. Of course, not every lane was built in the same terrain, switching to a different one every once in a while and making lane-switching an essential requirement to finish the race. On the course, there were multiple barriers, unmoving as if waiting for Ms. Muffin to stumble upon them with her fatal clumsiness.

Luxuriant trees stood tall at the side of the track, growing like lean giants compared to the shorter, plump bushes, heavy with red berries. Unicorn statues stood nose-up where trees and bushes didn't grow. They kept watch as silent guardians to the large lake around which the entire track looped.

As if to add to the Unicorn theme, at Ms. Muffin's left, there stood Pinkie. The Plushie Unicorn glared at her one last time before setting her gaze ahead, whispering the words: "As long as you keep running, we will keep you alive, Fatty. Who knows, if you arrive first, maybe we'll let you live..."

The other two participants didn't speak, but their amused chuckles spoke louder than any villainous monologue. The problem wasn't pirates after all… It was ninjas all along!

Ninja pigs with their sharp katanas, deadly shuriken, and fashionable black costumes. A mere piggle didn't stand a chance!

Ms. Muffin's blood ran cold, her lips letting free a short, frightened squeal. Thoughts crashed one into each other in her mind, not making much of a sense. She would have loved to be one of those people able to analyze the situation with a calm mind, attempting to piece together the best way to get out of the situation unscathed. The harsh truth was that she was only a scared piggle, teleported to a race track in the middle of nowhere with a maniacal Plushie Unicorn and her ninja goons.

Ms. Muffin did the first thing she could think at the moment, and that was to run when the starting signal resounded in her ears. Hesitant steps turned into a disorganized dash as the piggle moved forward on the track, her vague plan was to avoid obstacles and look for a way to escape.

Pinkie dashed ahead almost instantly, jumping over obstacles and sliding under them with utter perfection. Her flawless performance during the derby made the piggle question just why was she that hateful. With her talents, Pinkie surely didn't have much of a reason to obsess over that one failure and threaten a piggle over it. Perfection… Was it even possible? If she wanted her dead so bad, maybe she could have chosen a more private place, even send the ninjas during the night…

Ms. Muffin didn't know why Pinkie acted like that, but she surely was positive that she didn't want to get stabbed by a katana the moment she stopped running. The ninja pigs kept her pace, flanking her like twin shadows just waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Actually… it was a miracle she hadn't messed up yet. Her fat piggle hooves skittering on the track like part of a well-oiled machine. Her breath, which would have once been fatigued after the initial sprint, was now deep and regular.

Were those the effects of the fabled rank ninth snacks? She didn't need to transcend reality to know that her intuition was right.

Thanks to the mega snacks she was fast! She was strong! She was amazing! She was a super piggle! She was uh... as fast as everybody else?

No matter how much Ms. Muffin increased her speed, the ninjas tailed her close and Pinkie kept getting farther and farther away, her every nimble movement exalting her flawless form. The piggle didn't think she could actually beat the Plushie Unicorn in a derby even with the help of mega snacks: she lacked proper coordination and experience on the field.

It left her with somewhat of a bitter taste that she couldn't do more, but she focused mainly on avoiding obstacles, earning with her sweat and quick dodges the right to live through her dedication.

Terrains changed under her hooves from clay to grass, and from grass to dirt. At one point she even had to dive into a pool of water and swim to the next part of the course. Always, Ms. Muffin avoided obstacles, taking the longest way and switching lanes at the last second like an indecisive novice deciding which spell to cast.

When she finished the first lap, the situation hadn't changed much. Pinkie was still merrily hopping ahead of them all, the ninjas still stalked her like starved katana-wielding puppies, and Ms. Muffin hadn't seen anyone that could help her out. The PET staff probably watched the race from the Pavilion itself, disregarding any kind of security that could prevent Ms. Muffin's tragic death.

It was only fitting… Wizard City and Ravenwood in particular always had security problems. Mere children were sent on dangerous spell quests on a daily basis and some PET courses involved avoiding bombs descending from the sky! Obviously, security was lacking!

Her legs burned due to excessive strain, her piggle nose twitched as she gasped for air, and tired grunts accompanied the slowing down of her desperate run. The ninjas approached her, hooves moving to their katanas…

No… No… No… NO.

"Wysterians will win the universal prize for humility before I give up! Not happening!" Her last, desperate battle cry reverberated through the air as she spent all of her remaining breath to send the message forth. The ninja pigs hesitated, katanas half-unsheathed in hand.

The shout was probably a very stupid idea, but it seemed that the lack of oxygen in her lungs sparked an idea. Ms. Muffin's wings stretched in all of their short wing-span, and with a first, determined flap, the piggle's hooves lost contact with the ground.

If Rolling couldn't work, and running tired her out… She would have resorted to flying!

Under the bewildered gazes of the ninja pigs, Ms. Muffin propelled herself forward like a missile. Her wings didn't only sustain her, but actually acted like wings for once! The piggle could even ignore the rainbow-colored glow that lingered in the air after every flap. She thought that it actually looked quite pretty, and she somehow found herself wishing she owned a kart just to run over the other racers… No, she had to focus!

Ms. Muffin flapped her wings, following the course and flying above obstacles with ease. Soon Pinkie appeared in the piggle's field of view, visibly worn out by the continued running. The Plushie Unicorn widened her eyes in surprise and renewed her efforts as Ms. Muffin continued her approach.

In truth, Ms. Muffin didn't know how she had been able to acquire such a useful power that made it even possible for a terrible derby racer like her to compete with experts. Maybe it was sheer luck, or maybe she had always possessed such latent powers... though she suspected that it was her small bite of pie mixed with yogurt that had awakened some sort of sugar hyperdrive talent within her. What was important, was that she was a rainbow piggle flying to victory!

The second lap was soon coming to an end, Ms. Muffin and Pinkie head-to-head for first place. Her wings ached with a dull pain, but she kept flapping them, even if every time she did so she felt like her muscles were about to shut down. Her lungs longed for air, protesting against the insufficient influx that got to them through her throat. Her vision was blurry, barely able to keep its focus on the finish line. One last effort… an umpteenth flap of wings… a pained grunt as she reached forward with her hoof in a last effort to surpass…

And with the sound of a loud, disembodied whistle, it was over.

Ms. Muffin was limp on the ground gasping for air as her chest went up and down in an attempt to acquire it. The rainbow glow emitting from her wings was gone, and they lay uselessly folded on her back as if they would never move ever again.

"You… You won… Fatty," Pinkie said in a fatigued whisper. "You… actually… won. I… won't deny… that I respect… your determination…" It was evident that the Plushie Unicorn lacked the breath to speak, but still, she kept standing, unyielding even in the face of exhaustion.

Minutes passed with Ms. Muffin slowly regaining strength. The ninja pigs had reached the finish line too after a while, though they didn't seem in terrible shape, just a bit tired. Pinkie hadn't spoken ever since she had muttered those few words of acknowledgment, and the piggle was sure that maybe there was still a chance to be friends with her. She really did want to be friends with her despite everything…

Something was off though. She sensed it more than seeing it. At first, she couldn't quite point out what it was, but as minutes passed it became progressively more evident.

The teleporter… it wasn't teleporting them back.

"Do you think the teleporter broke or…" Ms. Muffin asked Pinkie, sitting up and trying to convey her newfound feeling of friendship to her classmate.

It certainly came as a surprise the fact that the Plushie Unicorn didn't look like she was going to accept words of friendship any time soon. "We sabotaged it, Fatty. There is no going back for you."

"Eh?" There was no time to react for Ms. Muffin. The ninja pigs pinned her to the ground, the sharp edge of a katana pressed right under her chin.

"You may be wondering... why?" Pinkie asked, cold and merciless, raising her voice as she glanced into the air, probably addressing the invisible spectators watching through the hologram.

Ms. Muffin tried to nod, but the ninja pigs tightened their hold and the pressure of the katana on her neck increased.

"Well… you see, You ruined my life, Fatty." It was a statement, something which Pinkie seemed to have accepted long ago. "You said that failing that class wasn't important… but at the end of it all... it really was."

"But-" Ms. Muffin's voice was cut short by the cold stare of her captor.

"PETs and wizards share a deep bond," Pinkie continued. "But while PETs are trained and even bred to serve a single master, wizards are able to get as many PETs as they want. This leads to wizards selecting the best and only the best. You see where I am heading with this?"

Ms. Muffin's eyes widened after hearing Pinkie talk. Her previous words finally making sense. Shadow had mentioned it the day earlier: Pinkie's master was extremely strict. When it came to PETs it could mean only one thing…

"I am not perfect. If I am not perfect, I am nothing," Pinkie's words were firm, yet resigned. Her eyes looked misty, but tears wouldn't fall. "My fate is to be brushed apart… kept in a room with other failed PETs. That is until the wizard frees me or he dies. I failed that class… I was graded poorly… It will forever be a stain on my profile."

Ms. Muffin gulped. In a certain sense, she could understand Pinkie. Ms. Muffin had never stopped to think about the fact that only a few PETs were successful. She had always aimed high, taking it for granted that she would find a good master. She hadn't yet been claimed by anyone, and soon her profile would be available for all to see.

What would her profile say?

Her overall results were terrible. Wizards already raised an eyebrow as soon as they discovered that she was a first generation Piggle… would anyone even accept her? Would they simply skim over her stats, gloss over her talents, and look for another, more efficient pet? Would they pay Doctor Purreau gold to breed the perfect PET for them?

And if they did pick her, a useless piggle… maybe for looks… would they tire of her within a week? How many pets did they already have, abandoned in a small, confined room with the bare necessities to survive?

"I… I don't want that life… I want to go on adventures. I want to be useful…" Pinkie lost her battle against her restrained emotions, tears freely rolling down her cheek as she continued speaking. "I hate you… Ms. Muffin. I really do. I was ready to kill you… for them. They told me that a conspicuous death… right in the middle of the exam… it would get people to dig into the PET system… and find out everything… what I just told you is just the tip of the iceberg."

The ninja pig pinning Ms. Muffin down looked at the Plushie Unicorn with unease in his eyes. He looked jittery, his employer wasn't ordering him to kill just yet so maybe he was thrown off. The piggle didn't dare to move, unsure on whether the ninja would kill her or not if she did.

"I hate you. In my eyes, you are only a troublemaker, ready to sink her classmates for the sake of having fun. I hate that you don't care to fail… I hate how you drag others into your failures… I hate your optimism as you slowly dig your own grave."

Pinkie paused for a few seconds and then kept going. "You do have something though, I do admit it. You are determined… and you did win the race in the end. Maybe you too deserve to be a PET. Still… It is necessary that you die… I'm sorry that it must end like this, but your death will be the beginning of our revolution. Farewell."

The ninja pig shifted his attention back to his target and executed the sentence, blade pressing on her vulnerable neck. Blood spilled… but not enough.

What happened next was a blur in Ms. Muffin's memories. One instant she was about to die, and the next she was safe a good distance away. Wolf Shadowmancer stood between her and the rebellious PET, sword unsheathed and aura unleashed.

Pinkie and the ninja pigs never stood a chance.

That day, Ms. Muffin won the derby race and Pinkie's scheme was no more. The Savior of The Spiral had come to save the day as he always did. Some rumors said that he could hunt down the people in need by following a yellow magical arrow to the problem... His timely appearence is said to have made most Spiral beings unable to take care of themselves and reduced the monthly rate of interesting climaxes by 75%


	6. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

* * *

A month had passed since the final exam and after such an event, things were bound to change.

Pinkie's outburst actually had some repercussions, and the pet derby's regulations were slightly changed to avoid such situations to happen again. Pinkie's story had moved the hearts of a rather small group of wizards. They weren't a very organized group, but they sure were loud, proclaiming PET's rights all throughout the commons.

Pinkie herself was now behind bars, living the exact same life she had wanted to avoid at all costs... She was thoroughly interrogated by the guards with worrying results. Apparently, a new, shady organization was on the rise, performing shady deeds in the name of the liberation of all PETs.

The ninja pigs had mysteriously disappeared without leaving any trace, probably they had fled back to Mooshu. Nobody really knew.

Shadow had passed the exam with flying colors, taking his place as the main PET of Wolf Shadowmancer and going on countless adventures to save the Spiral from the monthly villain and their convenient world-ending magical artifact. He still tried to visit Ms. Muffin whenever he could, but the busy schedule often got in his way.

Ms. Muffin had found a partner to trust and with whom to work together. It was Laura Seashard, the very same Thaumaturge that had saved the two PETs from the scammers. The piggle hadn't been able to fly ever since the derby race, and even though she tried to spin, she never managed to transcend reality ever since.

The entire experience hadn't left her without scars. Sometimes, when she sat by herself, she touched her neck where the katana had once rested, thinking that maybe… maybe if PETs rebelled, wizards would take them more seriously. Maybe her problems wouldn't be brushed aside as nothing... Maybe... but that was definitely just a thought...

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes:_**

 ** _Hello everyone, long time no see! I'm not dead as you may have noticed, just been busy with other things. I'll resume working on Fragment of a Wish as soon as possible. There is sooo much that is going to happen in the next chapters, I can't wait!_**

 ** _Take this short story as a way for me to brush up on my writing. It was first written as a contest entry for a competition on the Wizzy Amino involving both writing and art._** ** _The gorgeous drawing is from Emily, the insanely talented artist with whom I had the pleasure of collaborating for the occasion. Thank you, Emily! :)_**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed, and don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it. Hearing from you never fails to improve my mood!_**


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